Brassiere

ABSTRACT

An exemplary embodiment includes a brassiere formed out of a transparent material that can provide a desired level of support and comfort while being worn with a bathing suit or any other desired article of clothing.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/608,687, filed Mar. 9, 2012, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

Brassieres are known and utilized by women to provide for support and comfort when worn. Typical brassieres are formed using one of a variety of fabrics and can include wiring or other strengthening materials for additional support. However, women with larger breasts are often unable to find a brassiere that provides a desired level of support and comfort.

Women's swimsuits, for example bikinis and one-piece bathing suits, are also formed out of any of a variety of materials. However, women's swimsuits typically do not offer a desired level of comfort or support as a brassiere. Additionally, traditional brassieres cannot be worn with a bathing suit because of a variety of negative effects on the materials of the brassiere when they come in contact with water. Further, the wearing of a brassiere with a swimsuit may be undesirable from a fashion perspective.

SUMMARY

An exemplary embodiment includes a brassiere formed out of a transparent material that can provide a desired level of support and comfort while being worn with a bathing suit or any other desired article of clothing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Advantages of embodiments of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the exemplary embodiments thereof, which description should be considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like numerals indicate like elements, in which:

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of a transparent brassiere having a front closure.

FIG. 2 shows an exemplary embodiment of a transparent brassiere having a back closure.

FIG. 3 a shows an exemplary embodiment transparent brassiere with a first removable pad coupled to a first cup and a second removable pad coupled to a second cup.

FIG. 3 b shows an exemplary embodiment of a removable pad having an outer shell covering a transparent cushioning material.

FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of a transparent brassiere having at least one removable shoulder strap.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Aspects of the invention are disclosed in the following description and related drawings directed to specific embodiments of the invention. Alternate embodiments may be devised without departing from the spirit or the scope of the invention. Additionally, well-known elements of exemplary embodiments of the invention will not be described in detail or will be omitted so as not to obscure the relevant details of the invention. Further, to facilitate an understanding of the description, discussion of several terms used herein follows.

The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any embodiment described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. Likewise, the term “embodiments of the invention” does not require that all embodiments of the invention include the discussed feature, advantage or mode of operation.

Referring generally to FIGS. 1-4, exemplary embodiments of a brassiere formed from a transparent material may be described. Brassiere 100 may have a first cup 102 and a second cup 104. First cup 102 and second cup 104 may be coupled to a central coupling 106. At least one back strap 108 may be coupled to first cup 102 and second cup 104. Brassiere 100 may be fastened together using clasp 110.

In some exemplary embodiments, brassiere 100 may be made from a transparent polyurethane material. In alternative embodiments, brassiere 100 may be made from a polyethylene terephthalate or any other transparent material as known in the art. In some embodiments, brassiere 100 may be made from a flexible transparent material; in other embodiments, at least first cup 102 and second cup 104 may be made from a rigid transparent material. Additionally, brassiere 100 can be formed out of any materials that are, or have any combination of features, such as being breathable, sturdy and waterproof. A brassiere 100 formed from a transparent material may be worn under any desired type of garment (e.g. a swimsuit, low-cut top, etc.). Further, a brassiere 100 formed from a transparent material may be configured to not be negatively affected by water, may be cleaned with an application of soap and water, and may be efficiently dried using a towel or similar material.

Brassiere 100 may be formed in any desired size or shape. First cup 102 and second cup 104 may be made in a variety of sizes to allow women having any size breasts to wear brassiere 100. Further, first cup 102 and second cup 104 may be formed to provide any desired amount of coverage and/or support. For example, first cup 102 and second cup 104 may be shaped as a demi cup, a balconette cup, a full coverage cup, or any other appropriate shape as known in the art. In some embodiments, the central coupling 106 may include an adjustment mechanism to increase or decrease the distance between first cup 102 and second cup 104 to provide for a greater or lesser amount of lift, as desired by a wearer. In some embodiments, clasp 110 may be at least one hook-and-eye fastener; however, any appropriate fastener known in the art may also be used.

Referring specifically to FIG. 1, a transparent brassiere having a front closure may be described. Central coupling 106 may have a first part 106A and a second part 106B, the first part 106A being coupled to the first cup 102 and the second part 106B being coupled to the second cup 104. First part 106A may be coupled to a first clasp 110A, and second part 106B may be coupled to a second, corresponding, clasp 110B. First clasp 110A and second clasp 110B may be coupled together to allow brassiere 100 to be worn.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a transparent brassiere having a back closure may be described. A first back strap 108A and a second back strap 108B may have a first end and a second end. The first end of first back strap 108A may be coupled to first cup 102, and the first end of second back strap 108B may be coupled to second cup 104. A first clasp 110A may be coupled to the second end of first back strap 108A, and a second, corresponding, clasp 110B may be coupled to the second end of second back strap 108B. Brassiere 100 having a back closure may be worn by attaching the first clasp 110A to the second clasp 110B behind the wearer's back.

Referring generally now to FIG. 3, a transparent brassiere having a plurality of removable pads may be described. Specifically, FIG. 3 a may show a transparent brassiere 100 having removable pads coupled to the first cup 102 and second cup 104. A first removable pad 112 may be coupled to the inside portion of first cup 102, and a second removable pad 114 may be coupled to the inside portion of second cup 104. In some embodiments, first cup 102 and second cup 104 may have a pocket 116 configured to hold a removable pad 112 or 114; in other embodiments, removable pads 112 and 114 may couple to the first cup 102 or second cup 104 using an adhesive or other coupling mechanisms as known in the art. In some exemplary embodiments, removable pads 112 and 114 may generally be positioned to provide cushioning to the underside of a wearer's breasts. In further exemplary embodiments, removable pads 112 and 114 may further be positioned to provide lift for a wearer's breasts, in the fashion of a push-up brassiere or similar.

Now referring specifically to FIG. 3 b, a variety of removable pads may be described. In some embodiments, removable pads 112 and 114 may also be made of a transparent material. For example, removable pads 112 and 114 may have an outer flexible shell 118 and transparent cushioning 120. In some embodiments, transparent cushioning 120 may be a clear gel; in other embodiments, transparent cushioning 120 may be contained air, contained water, or any other appropriate transparent cushioning material and housing, as desired. In other exemplary embodiments, removable pads 112 and 114 may be made from an opaque material; for example, removable pads 112 may have an outer flexible shell in a variety of skin tones to blend in with the wearer's skin or any other color as desired.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a transparent brassiere having a plurality of removable shoulder straps may be described. Brassiere 100 may further have at least one removable shoulder strap 122 having a first end and a second end. A hook 124 may be coupled to the first end and second end of shoulder strap 122. A plurality of eyelets 126 may be coupled to the first cup 102, second cup 104, central coupling 106, and at least one back strap 108. A wearer can attach a hook 124 at the first end of removable shoulder strap 122 to any desired eyelet and a hook 124 at the second end of removable shoulder strap 122 to any desired eyelet such that brassiere 100 can be worn in any desired fashion. Brassiere 100 having a plurality of removable shoulder straps can be worn with no straps, a single strap, or both straps coupled to the cups, central coupling, and/or one or more back straps. Both removable shoulder strap 122 and hook 124 may be made from a transparent material, such as polyurethane, polyethylene terephthalate, or any other appropriate material as known in the art. Further, the length of removable shoulder straps 122 may be adjustable to allow women of varying heights to wear brassiere 100 and/or to allow for a variety of strap configurations as described above. In still further embodiments, removable shoulder straps 122 may also contain cushioning or padding for additional comfort; such cushioning may be a clear gel, air, water, or any other appropriate cushioning as known in the art. Removable shoulder straps 122 may be washed separately or together with the first and second cups, central coupling, and at least one back strap.

The foregoing description and accompanying drawings illustrate the principles, preferred embodiments and modes of operation of the invention. However, the invention should not be construed as being limited to the particular embodiments discussed above. Additional variations of the embodiments discussed above will be appreciated by those skilled in the art.

Therefore, the above-described embodiments should be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive. Accordingly, it should be appreciated that variations to those embodiments can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A brassiere, comprising: a first cup, a second cup coupled to the first cup, and at least one back strap coupled to the first and second cups, wherein the first and second cups and at least one back strap are made from a transparent plastic material.
 2. The brassiere of claim 1, further comprising at least one shoulder strap coupled to at least one cup and at least one back strap.
 3. The brassiere of claim 2, wherein at least one shoulder strap is made from a transparent polyurethane material.
 4. The brassiere of claim 2, wherein the at least one shoulder strap has a first end and a second end, the first end removably coupled to a cup and the second end removably coupled to the at least one back strap.
 5. The brassiere of claim 4, further comprising: a first hook coupled to the first end of an at least one shoulder strap; a second hook coupled to the second end of an at least one shoulder strap; at least one eyelet coupled to each of the first and second cups; and at least one eyelet coupled to the at least one back strap.
 6. The brassiere of claim 5, further comprising at least one eyelet coupled between the first and second cups.
 7. The brassiere of claim 2, wherein the at least one shoulder strap is configured to allow a user to wear the brassiere in any desired fashion.
 8. The brassiere of claim 1, further comprising a first clasp coupled to the first cup and a second clasp coupled to the second cup, first clasp and second clasp being capable of releasably coupling the first cup and second cup.
 9. The brassiere of claim 1, further comprising a clasp coupled to the at least one back strap, the clasp being configured to releasably couple the at least one back strap to the first and second cups.
 10. The brassiere of claim 1, further comprising a first pad coupled to the first cup and a second pad coupled to the second cup.
 11. The brassiere of claim 10, wherein the first and second pads are removable.
 12. The brassiere of claim 10, wherein the first cup has a pocket configured to hold the first pad and the second cup has a pocket configured to hold the second pad.
 13. The brassiere of claim 10, wherein the first and second pads are made from a transparent polyurethane.
 14. The brassiere of claim 10, wherein the first and second pads comprise: an outer shell, and a transparent padding material.
 15. The brassiere of claim 14, wherein the transparent padding material comprises a gel.
 16. The brassiere of claim 14, wherein the transparent padding material comprises a fluid.
 17. The brassiere of claim 14, wherein the transparent padding material comprises a gas
 18. The brassiere of claim 14, wherein the outer shell is made from a transparent polyurethane material.
 19. The brassiere of claim 1, wherein the plastic material is polyurethane. 